Review: Slade House

In the 9/15/15 issue of Booklist I have a review of what I think will become a Halloween classic read for years to come.  Here is the cross post from RA for All:

Sade House by David Mitchell [not out until October]. The review was first published in the 9/15/15 issue of Booklist.

In this slim and compelling novel, literary fiction stalwart Mitchell offers his most accessible book yet- a haunted house story in the vein of classics like The Turn of the Screw and The Haunting of Hill House. Written as five distinct chapters, each set on the last Saturday in October, spaced nine years apart, the novel follows the nefarious exploits of the Grayer Twins who inhabit the eponymous home, hidden in a narrow alley, behind a pub. Each chapter is told through the point of view of the poor soul who has been unknowingly summoned to the home as a sacrifice to the twins. Readers will appreciate how over the thirty-six year span, characters and story threads overlap to craft a unified, psychological tale. As in his more ambitious works,Mitchell gives reads the same genre blending, intricate plotting, and thought-provoking storylines, but here his scope is smaller, as he narrows his focus onto the intensely unsettling tone. Suggest to fans of Audrey Niffenegger, Karen Russell, and Steven Millhauser, and expect it to be read as a Halloween staple for years to come.

This book was awesome and can be given to many more readers than you normally would for a Mitchell novel.  It has everything that is great about Mitchell in one short, fast paced book. 

Three Words That Describe This Book: genre-blending, unsettling, episodic

Readalikes: There are plenty packed into my review but in particular, this is a great read for fans of Niffenegger's Her Fearful Symmetry.